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How to endure temptation.

by Jordan Bakker on May 04, 2017

At the end of Satan's temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, we read, "

And [Satan] took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, "' He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,' and "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" And Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Luke 4:9-12)

Jesus quoted once again from Deuteronomy 6:16, and said, "you shall not put the Lord your God to the test." He exposed the true foundation of Satan's plot, that He would presume on God and test His goodness.

This temptation is the most subtle, thus the most dangerous. This type of temptation misuses Scripture and misunderstands the nature of God. It uses Scripture to gain our own advantage, instead of yielding ourselves to God's will. This type of use makes mankind sovereign, and leads to "name it and claim it" type of living. It takes Scripture out of context to prove what we want (God wants me to be happy, so divorce is ok; If I give more money, He will give me more; if I do good things, good things will happen to me; I don't need to be a part of a church; etc). It makes Scripture into merely a self-help book that gives us what we want, not a Revelation about how to follow God.

It also turns God into a utilitarian genie, a cosmic butler who is there to serve our whims. If God is good, He would do _____________. This affects the way we pray, not praying according to or for God's will, but calling out God to do something miraculous because WE THINK it best, rather than yielding ourselves to the One who truly knows best. We are not to put God to the test, but to place ourselves under His authority.

In verse 13 we read, "And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time."

Satan left Jesus at that point, but He did not leave Him alone. He continued to afflict the disciples, especially Peter. He entered Judas to get him to sell Jesus for silver. He is still active today. He is looking to tempt us, to deceive, confuse, and lead us astray. What we learned from Jesus is true today:

  •  We must stay watchful - Satan doesn't fight fair and he's looking for the time when we are at our weakest and least aware

  •  We must stay prayerful - We must pray for the right things, seeking the face of God, and yielding ourselves to His will

  •  We must keep Scripture as a weapon - Scripture clears up our thinking when we are tempted to think wrongly, letting our mind lead our heard astray. The Holy Spirit empowers us and leads us through the truth of Scripture.

Jesus not only proved His credentials in withstanding the best the devil could offer, He also gave us the game plan to follow. And His way is better, and leads to joy!

The excerpt above is from a sermon by Pastor Jordan entitled "Exposed: Temptation's Big Lie." You can access the full audio and manuscript here.

Tags: practical theology, temptation

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